s
state: perhaps they may come a little nearer the truth."

And the learned and wise men came together and spoke a great deal, out
of which the stork could make no sense--and it had no result, either
for the sick man or for the daughter in the swampy waste. But for all
that we may listen to what the people said, for we have to listen to a
great deal of talk in the world.

But then it's an advantage to hear what went before, what has been
said; and in this case we are well informed, for we know just as much
about it as stork-papa.

"Love gives life! the highest love gives the highest life! Only
through love can his life be preserved." That is what they all said,
and the learned men said it was very cleverly and beautifully spoken.

"That is a beautiful thought!" stork-papa said immediately.

"I don't quite understand it," stork-mamma replied: "and that's not my
fault, but the fault of the thought. But let it be as it will, I've
something else to think of."

And now the learned men had spoken of love to this one and that one,
and of the difference between the love of one's neighbour and love
between parents and children, of the love of plants for the light,
when the sunbeam kisses the ground and the germ springs forth from
it,--everything was so fully and elaborately explained that it was
quite impossible for stork-papa to take it in, much less to repeat it.
He felt quite weighed down with thought, and half shut his eyes, and
the whole of the following day he stood thoughtfully on one leg: it
was quite heavy for him to carry, all that learning.

But one thing stork-papa understood. All, high and low, had spoken out
of their inmost hearts, and said that it was a great misfortune for
thousands of people, yes, for the whole country, that this man was
lying sick, and could not get well, and that it would spread joy and
pleasure abroad if he should recover. But where grew the flower that
could restore him to health? They had all searched for it, consulted
learned books, the twinkling stars, the weather and the wind; they had
made inquiries in every byway of which they could think; and at length
the wise men and the learned men had said, as we have already told,
that "Love begets life--will restore a father's life;" and on this
occasion they had surpassed themselves, and said more than they
understood. They repeated it, and wrote down as a recipe, "Love
begets life." But how was the thing to be prepared according to the